Barbaric Acts at a Tianjin City Women's Forced Labour Camp

2004-05-04

Because she steadfastly practised Falun Gong, over 50 year old Ms. Yan Shujun, was abducted by the Tianjin City Public Security Bureau in November 2000. She was taken to a police station where policemen brutally slapped her face. Then she was unjustly sentenced to two and half years of forced labour, and detained at the Banqiao Women's Forced Labour Camp in Tianjin City.

On June 1, 2001 Ms. Yan was transferred to the Tianjin City Jianxin Women's Forced Labour Camp. Because she did not give up her belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," the female camp guards deprived her of sleep, allowing her only as little as two hours of sleep per day. To protest this incessant persecution, Ms. Yan Shujun went on a hunger strike for 12 days. Subsequently, the camp extended her term far past the original date of her expected release. On April 1, 2003 the camp attempted to forcefully brainwash Ms. Yan. Camp and policewomen dragged Ms. Yan into a tiny dark room and struck her all over her body with electric batons. Then, the camp policewomen forcibly bared Ms. Yan's body in front of the camp's male discipline instructors to demonstrate their electric baton torture. They then confined Ms. Yan to a 1.6 ft x 1 ft x 5 ft wooden cage where the 5-foot-7-inch tall Ms. Yan was forced into a partially-crouched position. Ms. Yan Shujun was tortured in this inhuman way for 8 days. Afterwards she had significant muscular and skeletal problems.

Practitioner Ms. Chen Yaru, 46, was previously a resident of Tianjin City. In April 2001 she was abducted from her home and sentenced to two years of forced labour at the Tianjin City Jianxin Women's Forced Labour Camp.

To protest her persecution, on May 13, 2002 ("World Falun Dafa Day," celebrated in many countries worldwide), Ms. Chen practised the Falun Gong meditation, sitting in the lotus position. Because of her action, the camp police confined her to a small dark room, where they brutally beat her and trampled on her arms. When they saw that the beatings could not shake Ms. Chen's steadfast belief in Falun Gong, the camp police handcuffed each of her arms to a bed, stretching her out spread-eagled. She remained handcuffed this way for 23 days.

On April 6, 2003 there were many Dafa-slandering slogans posted inside the camp. Ms. Chen and another detained practitioner tore down these slogans. In response, the guards dragged the two female practitioners into a room where they stripped them down to their underclothes and tied up their hands. Then, the guards dragged them into the hallway, and ordered them to kneel down. When the practitioners refused, six policemen (including Li Zhiqiang and Section Chief Yu) used six electric batons simultaneously on Ms. Chen to knock her down. One policeman even sat on Ms. Chen, shocking her genitals with an electric baton for a full 20 minutes. After that, they did the same to the other female practitioner. Then, they returned to shocking Ms. Chen. They said to Ms. Chen, who was clad only in her underwear, "This time we will give you a whole-body massage." They shocked Ms. Chen with electric batons all over her body, to the point that her teeth became loose. For more than one month after this torture, her right arm was paralyzed.

The personnel in the Tianjin City Jianxin Women's Forced Labour Camp behave in the same way as those in the Tianjin Banqiao Forced Labour Camp, in terms of their long-term persecution of Dafa practitioners. They continue to apply cruel punishments in an attempt to force many detained practitioners to succumb to the torture and unwillingly write and sign the so-called "Three Statements"(1). However, force cannot really change a person's heart. Genuine practitioners will never abandon their beliefs. Those who were forced to write and sign the "Three Statements" are now rectifying this deed by declaring what they did as null and void, and are coming back to the practice of Falun Dafa in an open, righteous and dignified manner.

(1) The "Three Statements" - Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write these as proof that they have given up their belief. Created by the "610 Office," the three statements consist of a letter of repentance, a guarantee to never again practise Falun Gong, and a list of names and addresses of all family members, friends and acquaintances who are practitioners.